Ice Cold
by R.J.North
Summary: Leta is a member of Fairy Tail that not many people know anything about. What'll happen when she befriends Lucy and starts to make more friends? Will her past come back to haunt her? What will her new friends and team mates think? Will they help her out?
1. Chapter 1

**Like most writers on here, I asked you to please review and tell me what you think. Tell my what you think of Leta. Well, I hope you like it. Thanks.**

Chapter 1  
>New Comer<p>

Leta Velius was sitting by herself over in the corner, tipping her chair onto its two back legs in a bored manor. Her long black hair down to the middle of her back, but was over the back of the chair due to the girls tilt. Her bangs hung down over her light blue eyes. They were closed as she tried to relax. It was rather difficult to do so when everyone around her was talking loudly and acting as if they were all at a party. It was sort of like a bar anyways. What else could she expect?

The seventeen year old girl was a wizard and was a part of the Fairy Tail Guild. She had only been a member of the guild for a month. She had taken seven jobs with high pay and had gotten the reputation of being a lone wizard. She didn't talk to other people in the guild except for one of the workers, Mirajane. She was a very nice girl that approached Leta unlike everyone else.

Mirajane was a very pretty nineteen year old girl. She had long white hair pulled away from her face. Her pale white skin matched her hair and made her big, dark blue eyes stand out. She was a petite girl and was rather busty. She was known to a lot of people who read _Sorcerer Weekly_. She was a swimsuit model, but also worked at Fairy Tail.

Leta admired the girl for working there with how much violence broke out. Everyday there would be a fight that almost everyone would join in. She also had the guts to approach Leta while everyone else was a little frightened by her. Her blue eyes were like ice. Her pale skin, almost exactly the same tone as Mirajane's, almost looked even paler due to her black contrasting hair and darker clothing. Really the skirt she wore was the only really dark article of clothing she work, being black, but it still made her look all the more pale.

Leta was also a pretty, young girl. She had pale, smooth skin and silky black hair. She was skinny and the average height of a seventeen year old. Leta was also rather busty. It seemed like a lot of the girls there were. Her light blue tank top was darker than her eyes and brought them out nicely. She had black rings around her wrists on her skin, almost like tattoos, but they were natural. She also had one around her neck, almost resembling a black choker necklace and one around each of her ankles. Many people wondered what they were and how she got them. Most thought they were tattoos. She also had a think black chain with strange amulet on it around her neck.

People in the Guild didn't even know what king of wizard she was. There were rumors that she was a Celestial Wizard, but nobody ever saw her carrying around Celestial Charms. Others thought she had Holder type magic. However, none of them had ever seen her perform any kind of magic. Nobody knew anything about the girl, really.

There had been rumors about her. Some people thought she used to be a rogue wizard. Others thought she was a nomad, just wondering around learning different forms of magic. Some thought she was just anti-social. Others thought she was a great wizard who didn't want people to know about her, others thought that she was trying to make herself seem more important and more powerful than she actually was. Then again, she didn't give them anything to go on so their minds were bound to wonder.

Leta was taken out of her thoughts when the front door of the Guild Hall was kicked open. She casually looked over to see a fellow member of the Guild named Natsu. He was a spiky, pink haired boy. He was very fit. You could see how sculpted he was by his open vested and sleeveless clothing. He was a strong boy. He was a Fire Dragon Slayer. Leta admired how strong he was, but wasn't too fond of his magic. She wasn't fond of fire.

"We made it back alive!" Natsu yelled.

The talking little blue furred cat that was Natsu's partner and friend then yelled, "We're home!"

Leta had to admit to herself that the little cat was completely adorable. Happy was the cat's name. He was an Exceed. He, along with Mirajane was the only people who had ever talked to Leta. Leta always seemed to perk up when those two talked to her. She may have been a quiet person, but that didn't mean she didn't like to converse every now and then.

There was a blonde girl right behind him looking around with an amazed expression on her face. The girl was very pretty. She was young, being about the same age as Leta. For the most part, her blonde hair was down except for some that was pulled up by a blue ribbon on the side of her head. Her brown eyes looked around the place excitedly. Overall, she looked like a nice girl.

_This'll be interesting_, Leta thought. She kept her attention on the two people and cat that had just entered Fairy Tail. _It always is when he gets back_.

Various greetings could be heard being given to Natsu. However, one person stood out as he spoke to him. "So I heard you went all out in Hargeon, Natsu. Had to go start trouble-." He didn't get to finish due to Natsu kicking the guy in the face.

_And so it begins_, Leta though, shaking her head and a small smirk playing on her lips.

"Why did you do that?" the blonde girl asked, her expression showing that she was completely freaked out. If she was going to get freaked out like that, then she wasn't going to be able to handle being in Fairy Tail.

"You lied about that Salamander," Natsu yelled. "I'm gonna kick your butt!"

"Don't get mad at me!" the guy yelled. "I'm not the one to blame here. I just passed along a rumor I heard."

"It was just a rumor?" Natsu yelled.

"You want to fight? Let's go!" the guy yelled.

_And so the daily fight begins_, Leta though, shaking her head.

"Now, now Natsu," Happy started to say in a calming tone. "I think you need to calm down." Poor Happy had a person pushed into him, sending him flying across a table.

As usually, everyone joined in on the fighting. They fought one another like they were mortal enemies or something. This was rather normal for the Fairy Tail Guild though. You got rather used to it after you were part of the Guild for about a week or so. Leta had been just as shocked as the new blonde girl was when she first saw what went on inside the famous Guild. It was rather strange behavior. Yet, they were a rather strange guild.

"Oh wow," the new girl said. "I'm actually standing inside the Fairy Tail Guild hall." Okay, so maybe she wasn't so shocked. But she had been earlier.

Leta got up from her chair and ducked and dodged multiple attacked as she crossed the large room. She stopped in front of the girl and gave a very small, uncharacteristic smile and stuck out her hand. "Hi," she said. "I'm Leta."

The girl looked at her a little shocked. Just by looking at her, she could tell she wasn't the type to go up and introduce themselves. However, she smiled back and took her hand. "I'm Lucy. Nice to meet you."

"You're new right?" Leta asked.

"I'm hoping to get in," Lucy said. "It's my dream Guild."

Leta gave a small laugh. "Don't worry about it," she said. "You'll get in just fine. You just have to get used to everybody and how strange they are."

"So Natsu finally made it back, huh?" Gray yelled. He stood up and turned around.

Leta shook her head and tried to get the blush that had formed on her face off. As per usual, Gray had somehow managed to strip himself into only his boxer shorts. Leta had to admit, the eighteen year old black haired boy was very fit. His arms, legs and chest her all sculpted very nice. He was very nice to look at. However, it was embarrassing to see him in nothing but his underwear. Every once in a while, that wouldn't even be there to cover him.

Lucy yelled in surprise. "That," Leta said, covering her face with her hands to try and hid the blush and turned her head slightly away. "You don't really get used to." She wouldn't admit it, but she secretly liked it. Hey, she was a teenage girl and he was a hot teenage guy! It was a little hard not to like it. But as said before, she wouldn't admit it if you asked her about it. "He has a bad habit of taking off his clothes."

"It's time we settled things once and for all," he said, brutally walking over to the mob of fighting people.

"Gray," a female at the bar said. "Your clothes."

"I don't have time for that!" Gray called back.

"That's Cana," Leta said to Lucy. "She holds the title for Fairy Tail's heaviest drinker."

"See I don't date the men here because they have no class," Cana said. She picked up one of the barrels of alcohol and started to drink straight from it.

"Yeah," Leta said, seeing Lucy's facial expression. "_Classy_."

"Come here and fight me, Natsu!" Gray yelled, kicking something across the room.

"Not until you put some clothes on!" Natsu yelled, fighting the guy who had told him about the rumor. Leta believed his name was Krov, but she never really paid much attention to the buck toothed guy. She knew almost everyone at Fairy Tail despite only being a member for about a month, but she caught on to a lot just sitting in her corner and listening to everything going on around her.

"It's only noon and you boy are already winning like spoiled babied," a tall man with white hair said. He walked up next to the two girls who seemed much shorter than him.

"That's Elfman," Leta said told Lucy, not looking away from the people fighting before her. She wanted to make sure she wasn't going to get hit by anyone. You never knew when someone or something would get thrown across a room at you. They dragged anyone and everyone into their daily fight. They just fought for the sake of fighting, it seemed. Leta preferred to just stand back and watch, not wanting to get injured.

"I'm a real man! You want me to prove it to you?" he yelled, holding up his fist.

"I can't believe he's encouraging them," Lucy said.

"You won't believe a lot of things that go on here," Leta muttered.

Gray and Natsu turn around and both punched the man, sending him flying. Leta just shook her head. She had seen that coming from a mile away. Maybe it was just her, but she often saw a lot of things to come. Maybe it was just her logic that allowed her to see what was coming or since she observed them for a while. The people around her were just too thick to see what was coming next. You'd think for being wizards they'd be able to do that, but apparently not.

"They knocked him out that easily?" Lucy asked.

"Natsu and Gray are two of the best wizards in Fairy Tail," Leta told Lucy quietly. "Just don't tell them I said that. They're head's don't need to get big."

"Geez," a male voice from behind the two girls said. They turned around to see an amber haired boy with sunglasses on and two girls on his lap talking. "It's so noisy around here, huh?" The girls just swooned over him. Leta just rolled her eyes at him.

"That's Loke," Leta said. "The 'Lady Killer.' Ranked high up on the eligible wizard's bachelor list. He's basically just a player." Leta wasn't impressed by people like him. She was never going to date someone like that. Yet, she didn't date much in the first place. She was too busy with all of the missions she went on.

Something got thrown across the room and hit Loke on the head. The two girls asked him if he all right, fearing for their handsome player wizard was hurt. All Loke looked was annoyed by what had happened. He was a wizard; he could take care of himself. Being hit on the head by something so small shouldn't have hurt him really. Wizards were supposed to be able to take much more damaging things than that.

"I'm going to go fight," he said. "Only to protect two." The girls just seemed to swoon at that.

Leta rolled her eyes. She curiously looked at Lucy who had pulled out a book and marked crossed off a picture of Loke in it. "He's definitely off my list," she said, shutting the book. "What the heck is wrong with these people? There's not one sane person in the whole place."

"Ouch," Leta joked, placing her hand over her heart. "That hurts, Lucy."

"Except you," Lucy said.

"Hello," a voice from behind them said. "Are you new here?"

"Hi Mirajane," Leta said casually.

"It's Mirajane!" Lucy squealed, freaking out. "In the flesh! Uh, don't you think we should try to stop them or something?" she asked.

"It's always like this around here," Mirajane explained. "I just leave them alone, right Leta?"

"Pretty much," Leta said.

"Besides," she said. Elfman got thrown into Mirajane. She fell to the ground with him on top of her. "It's kind of fun, don't you think?" Her soul seemed to visibly come out of here. It hadn't been the first time Leta had seen that happen to her. She was fine. She'd go back to normal in a minute or so.

"Don't die, Mirajane!" Lucy yelled, freaking out.

Leta and Lucy were knocked down to the ground when someone was pushed into them from behind. They could hear Natsu laughing. Once the person jumped off them, Lucy and Leta stood up and looked at who had knocked them over.

"Give me back my underwear, jerk!" Gray said.

_Oh no_, Leta thought. Her face turned completely red as she placed her hands over her mouth and cheeks to try to hide her blush, being completely unsuccessful. Her eyes widened as her eyes looked down at the completely naked Gray. Sure, it hadn't been the first time that he had ended up being completely naked when the girl was around. It wasn't the first time she had seen him like that, but whenever she did see him like that, she couldn't help but look at him and get embarrassed. He was just too nice looking not to. He wasn't just hot, but he was sexy. It was her teenage hormones that took over her when she saw him like that.

Lucy screamed and tried to cover her eyes, but looked through her fingers. It seemed she couldn't completely look away either. He then turned around and looked at the two girls and walked over to them, making them blush and freak out even more. Lucy moved away a little, having the room to do so, but Leta was stuck. She was trapped by one of the support beams of the building, unable to more away.

"Excuse me Misses," Gray said rather politely to the two girls. "Could I please barrow your underwear?" Yeah…polite.

Lucy, being very insulted like Leta, grabbed a large fan and hit Gray with it. He went falling away from the girls. Leta was rather relieved when he was gone. She sighed and looked next to here to find Lucy being picked up by Loke. She was freaking out because of him now.

"These guys are so insensitive," he said. "A woman has needs-." He wasn't able to finish what he was saying because Elfman punched him making Loke drop Lucy and go flying across the room.

"Real men speak with their fists, Loke!" he yelled.

Natsu then kicked Elfman sending him across the room. "I told you to butt out!"

"Aye," Happy said weakly.

"Are you okay, Lucy?" Leta asked, helping the girl to her feet.

"I guess so," she said.

"That's enough you guys," Cana said, taking out one of her magic spell cards (Does that sound like Yu-Gi-Oh to anyone?). "I suggest that you knock it off."

"Oh yeah?" Gray yelled, having gotten his underwear back and put them back on where they belonged. "Says who?" He was using his Ice Magic in his hands.

Everyone seemed to start using their magic instead of using their strength to fight. Leta sighed and looked at Lucy who was holing up Happy as a shield to protect herself. Poor Happy didn't look so happy about that. "They always fight like this?" she asked.

"Uh-huh," Happy said.

"Pretty much," Leta said.

"You don't seem worried," Lucy stated.

"I'm not," Leta said. She took Happy out of Lucy's hands, not wanting the poor little cat to be used as a shield anymore. She held him in her arms as he rested his head against her ample chest. "Don't worry, Happy," she said to the blue cat. "I've got you." She knew very well that he could take care of himself, but she didn't care. She just couldn't help but feel like she needed to take care of the adorable little cat. Although, he wasn't really a cat in the first place. He was an Exceed. It was a race of cat-like beings.

"Would you fools stop bickering like children?" yelled a large shadow man.

"He's huge!" Lucy said, looking up at the man frightened. She was sweating and tears were running down her face. Everyone stopped at the man's orders.

"I'm sorry," Mirajane said. "I didn't know you were still here, Master."

"Did you say Master?" Lucy asked, shocked.

"Yup," Leta said.

Natsu could be heard yelling excitedly. It seemed he hadn't noticed the Master in the room. He didn't know that that was the reason everyone stopped fighting. "Man, talk about a bunch of babies! Looks like I won with round you guy!" He was then stepped on by Master and silenced.

Lucy gave out a small yelp.

"Well, it seems we have a new recruit," Master said.

"Yes sir," she said still nervous and scared.

Master growled and started to transform back into his normal self. However, Lucy didn't know that and was freaking out even more. She was completely dumbstruck. He then shrunk down to his normal self, which was a very short man in orange clothing and grey hair. "Nice to meetcha!" he said smiling at Lucy.

"He's tiny," she stated. "This little guy is really in charge here?"

"Yeah," Leta said, like it was very obvious.

"Of course he is," Mirajane said. "Allow me to introduce the Fairy Tail Guild Master, Makarov."

Makarov then jumped up to the balcony on the second floor, but didn't succeed very well. As he flipped up there, he hit his back on the railing which looked rater painful. He then shrugged it off and turned to everyone in the room. He cleared his throat before speaking. "You've gone and done it again," he yelled at everyone. "You bunch of clogs! Just take a look at how much paperwork the Magic Council sent me this time." He held up a bung of papers for everyone to see. "This is the biggest pile of complaints yet! Have you lost your minds? All you kids are good for is getting the higher ups mad at me!"

Everyone except Leta looked down at the ground guiltily. Leta didn't because she almost never made a mess of things. She was rather careful when she was working. She didn't like bringing a lot of attention to herself if it wasn't necessary. She was safer that way. And the longer she stayed unnoticed, the happier and freer she was. She couldn't really afford to have people's attention like everyone else seemed to do.

"However," Master said. He turned the papers in his hand and completely destroyed them. "I say the heck with what the Magic Council had to say." He threw the flaming papers over the ledge. Natsu jumped up and ate it. "Now listen up!" Master said. "Any power that surpasses reason still comes from reason, right? Magic isn't some kind of miraculous power. It is a talent that only works when the flow of energy inside of us and the flow of energy in the natural world are in perfect synchronization. To perform magic, one must have a strong mind and the ability to focus. It should take over your being and come pouring out of your soul. If all we do is worry about following rules, then our magic will never progress. Don't let those blow hots on the council scare you! Follow the path you believe in! 'Cause that's what makes the Fairy Tail Guild number one!"

Everyone cheered after hearing Master's speech. Truly, the man's words were inspiring to all wizards in the Guild. Leta smiled and looked at Mirajane and Lucy beside her. They two were smiling and cheering. Even if they all fought all the time, they all believe in the same things. They were all a family.

And then…!

Leta smiled at Mirajane and Lucy as Lucy got the official Fairy Tail Guild symbol stamped on her right hand. Leta's symbol was over her heart. The girl had guts to stick around Fairy Tail. Leta was glad she was staying though. Now instead of only having to friends, Mirajane and Happy, she had three! Plus, she'd get used to how Fairy Tail was sooner or later. They weren't that bad, after all. Leta got used to them quickly; she just hoped Lucy did too.

"There," Mirajane said, smiling at Lucy. "Now you're an official member of the Fairy Tail Guild!"

Lucy twirled around and squealed in delight like a little child. She looked at her hand and then ran over to Natsu to show him. Leta shook her head and looked at the request form in her hand. It was a rather simple job, but it paid well. It wouldn't take her long to do it, but it would pay for a month's worth of bills and food. She needed the money. She folded the paper and put it in one of the pockets of her black skirt.

She turned away from Lucy and Natsu who were at the Request Board and walked to the door. She was almost run over by a little boy who stormed into Fairy Tail. Leta sighed as she looked back at the boy. She turned back around and frowned. The boy's name was Romeo. His father, Macao was one of Fairy Tail's wizards. He had gone on a mission a week ago, saying he'd be back in three days. He still wasn't back yet. Romeo was very worried about his father and kept checking in to see if he was back yet.

Leta left the building and then out of town shortly after. She would have gone to look for the man, but she had her own mission and problems to worry about.


	2. Chapter 2

I'd like to thank those who reviewed the story and apologize for how long it's taken me to post another chapter. So, thanks go out to MusicOfMadness, Sasame103, Zororenjilover, and HanamiKaze. Please don't be afraid to review guys!

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><p>Chapter 2<br>Set Fire to the Rain

Leta had gotten back from her mission that night. She had stopped by the Fairy Tail Guildhall to do her report and grab something to eat. Working all day and not stopping for something to eat was tiring. She just wanted to sit down and eat something. Now, if she wanted someplace to relax, then why would she go to the crazy Guildhall? Well, went it was late at night and people we getting in from a job that took then all day, it was a little mellower. If it was the weekend, then that was a different story, but it was Tuesday.

Walking over to the bar and sitting down, Leta saw Mirajane walk over to her and pour her a glass of water. Mirajane knew that Leta didn't drink. She usually stuck with the healthier things such as water and juice. She usually ordered water when she came in at night though, Mirajane knew that. After taking a sip of the water and placing it back on the counter, she looked up at Mirajane tiredly.

"You look exhausted," Mirajane said smoothly.

"I'm fine," Leta said. She was exhausted. "The job was just further than I thought it was."

"As long as you are sure," Mira said rather unsure. "I'll go place your usual in."

"Thanks," Leta said.

Leta sighed and leaned against the bar counter more. Relying on her physical straight along was getting rather tiresome. It took so much more out of her than using her magic would have, but she didn't like to use her magic unless her life counted on it. She promised herself and the people closest to her that she wouldn't. She wasn't in the habit of breaking promises. Not ones she made to herself or ones made to others.

Mirajane brought Leta's usually, a bowl of chili. She dug in. As she was eating, she noticed Lucy, Natsu and Happy trying to play a game of cards, but Natsu and Happy kept getting the rules messed up and arguing. Lucy was just annoyed that they couldn't get one game done and over with. Sitting behind them at the bar was Gray who was rather annoyed by the bickering wizards.

Leta couldn't help but giggle as she watched them. It must have been nice to spend all your time with your friends. Sure, Gray and Natsu both said they hated one another, but she knew they cared about one another. They always seemed like they were having fun, even if they were arguing most of the time. Lucy and Happy were having fun too.

The black haired girl would have liked to have done that. She wished she could have friends. Ones who'd do anything to help. But she couldn't. She couldn't let them get hurt by just being her friend. So she gladly concealed herself way from that thing called friendship. That was actually what her name meant. Leta meant gladly while Velius meant concealed.

Once Leta was done eating, she pulled out the money and placed it on top of the bar counter. She stood up slowly and turned to walk away, but stopped once she heard someone talking to her again.

"Leta," Mirajane said. Leta turned and looked at the older girl. "I see the way you look at them." Leta looked over at the group of people having fun, not too far off. "You know, you can have that. You can let people in. Whatever it is you're keeping from everyone, you don't have to. We're all family here."

"No," Leta muttered, staring down at the ground. "I'm fine with where I am. But thanks anyways, Mira."

Leta took a couple steps, but stopped once more. She almost winced from the pain that was in her gut. It wasn't the first time she had ever gotten that feeling. It wasn't anything good. Leta's gut feelings were almost always spot on. Something was going to happen and she could tell nothing good was going to come from it. But at the moment, she couldn't do anything about it. She had no idea what exactly was going to happen, so she pushed it aside.

"Leta?" Mira asked. "Are you okay?"

That seemed to get the attention of the table a few steps away. Leta wasn't comfortable with all the attention. "I'm fine," she told them, not taking her attention away from the floor. "But could you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?" Mira asked.

Leta looked down at the amulet around her neck and then took it off. Turning to Mirajane, Leta slowly held it out to hand over the complex looking round piece of metal. "Could you hold onto this for me tonight? And I mean, do everything in your power to protect it. Can you do that?"

"Uh," Mira muttered unsure. "Shouldn't you be giving it to someone like Natsu or Gray or Lucy?"

Unsure of what to do, Leta glanced over at the table of people looking at her. She trusted Mirajane, but could she trust them with the amulet? They didn't know what it was…maybe she could. She did know them. It wasn't like they'd go flashing it around or sell it. So, maybe she could trust them with it.

"I'll do it," Lucy offered. The girl got up from the table and walked over to the black haired girl. "I'll take good care of it for you."

"Really?" Leta asked shocked. Lucy smiled and nodded her head. "Thanks Lucy! It means a lot to me." Leta handed over the amulet to Lucy. Once it was in Lucy's hands, she examined it.

"Just out of curiosity, why are you handing it over in the first place?" Lucy asked. "'Cause I've never seen you without it."

"Now that you've mentioned it, neither have I," Gray said.

"What's it do?" Natsu asked, looking over Lucy's shoulder. "It looks like it does something to me. So what's it do?"

"Nothing!" Leta replied a little too quickly. They looked at her a little shocked at her hasty reply. "Just, take care of it for me, okay? I'll take it back tomorrow."

Without waiting for a reply, Leta grabbed her bag and left the Guild Hall. She couldn't afford to be hounded with any more questions. They were asking too many questions in the first place. Being in the spotlight wasn't something she could afford. There was a reason she didn't talk and make friends with people.

And then…!

Leta had tried to stay awake for as long as she could when she got home to her apartment. But she had been tired to begin with. She wasn't able to stay up long. She had sat in her dark bedroom just sitting there, waiting. But in the process, she fell asleep. The only thing she couldn't afford to do at the time and she went and did it.

Dark laughter and an intense heat was what woke Leta up from her sleep. However the sleep hadn't done anything for her. She felt worse than she did before she fell asleep. But that was most likely because of the heat. Fire was something she wasn't comfortable with at all. That was why she disliked Natsu's magic so much. She couldn't stand to be around intense heat for long.

The heat was coming from everywhere. The whole apartment building was on fire. Leta painfully pushed herself off of her bed on onto the hot floor. "Setting the whole building on fire is a little extreme, even for you." He looked up through the flames at the guy across the room. "Haven't seen you in a while, Will. How is everyone?"

"Shut up!" he yelled annoyed. He was searching through her dresser, throwing things everywhere. "Where is it? Where's the amulet, Glaciem? Where is it?"

Leta's eyes narrowed into a glare. "Don't you _ever_ call me that!" She relaxed a little more, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's not here," she added. "You won't find it."

Will was angry at that. "Where is it?" he yelled.

"You won't find it," she repeated. "It's not here."

Will didn't take that well either. He lunged forward and tackled the younger girl through the window next to her bed. Normally, Leta would have been able to dodge that without must effort at all, but seeing as she was too weak because of the fire, she couldn't do it. She barely had enough strength to stand up. But she knew how to get on Will's tempered side. That was why she got him to push her out the window.

Leta landed on the sidewalk outside with Will standing above her. His fist was admitting flames as he stood over her. "You should be trembling in fear!" he shouted over the roar of the fire behind them. "Fear the power of the Tenebris Ambustio!" He raised his fist and brought it down into the girl's stomach.

The girl's scream could be heard all the way across town. The punch wasn't a regular fire punch. No, when the fist made contact with her flesh, it not only broke into her flesh at that spot, but the fire also spread across her body, burning wherever the flame touched. Her clothes burned, her skin burned. Blood and ash covered the girl's body as she laid there as the sun started to raise with Will standing over her.

Leta was gasping for breath as Will laughed darkly over her. His fist getting ready for another attack. "Still alive, are you? Well, not for long! You shall parish under the hand of Will Malum, holder of the Phoenix Tenebris Ambustio!"

He started to bring his fist down to the girl, but she managed to catch it with her right hand. His shocked expression was priceless. However, then it turned to anger and rage. "How dare you! You dare defy my wrath? You shall pay!"

"I wouldn't…do that…if…I …was….you, Will. You're master….wouldn't be…pleased….with my…passing." Her breathing was staggered. She couldn't catch her breath. She was in too much pain and too weak from losing too much blood. "You…don't…want to…anger him…now…do you?" Summoning all the strength she had, she sat up, bleeding out more and glared at him. "Disobeying…his direct…orders…means…severe…punishment. Isn't…that right?...I remember. It… wasn't…pleasant. You wouldn't…want to…go through…that."

Will glared once more, but backed off and said, "This isn't over, Tenebris Glaciem. He will have the amulet. He has all but two. You will fall to his feet under his command. You won't be able to do anything about it." Will stepped back and started to walk off. "I've had enough of you for a while." He waved without looking back. "See ya, Leta."

Leta watched him walk off before her arm gave out and she fell back to the group on her back. She was still gasping for breath. Leta didn't have much strength left at all. The last thing she remembered seeing before she blacked out was the burning building beside her.

You see…!

"Leta? Leta, wake up!" a voice yelled in the unconscious injured girl's ear. Leta forced her eyes open to see Romeo Conbolt standing above her. He smiled when the girl opened her eyes. "You're alive!" he exclaimed.

"Romeo," she managed to say. "Help me…get to…the…Guild Hall…please." He nodded his head and tried to pull her half way on his back, but when she cried out, he stopped what he was doing and worriedly looked back at her. "Don't worry…just keep…going. We…need to…get…there…as soon…as possible."

"Are you sure?" he asked. "You're bleeding a lot. We should get you to a hospital."

"No," she protested. "Fairy Tail. I need…to get…to…Fairy…Tail."

"Okay," he muttered unsure.

Romeo pulled her back on his back. Since he was much shorter than Leta, he had to drag the girl all the way across town. Leaving a trail of Leta's blood behind that. It took a lot of the young boy's strength to do that. But he was determined to get her to the Fairy Tail Guild Hall. No matter how many strange looks they were getting from people on the street, he kept going. He had to get her there before she…He didn't want to think of it.

Leta had been unconscious for hours on the ground on the sidewalk of the alley behind the now burnt down building she used to live in. She had no idea how Romeo had found her, but she was grateful. At least now she had at least a chance to survive. If only she could get to the Guild Hall to see Lucy. Lucy was bound to be there. She had to be. She promised she'd give back the amulet the next day. She needed the amulet.

She _needed_ the amulet.

"Help!" Romeo yelled as he managed to push open the door of the Guild Hall. With the other he held Leta on his back. Her blood was dripping down his back and onto the floor of the hall. Her eyes opened and looked up at the members staring at them in horror and shock. "Someone please. She needs help."

"Leta!" Mirajane screamed as she ran out from behind the counter of the bar and over to the girl. "Kana, get Master Makarov! Tell him it's Leta!" She helped Romeo carry her over to the closest table. They pushed all of the content on top off and laid the girl there instead. "Leta, what happened? Who did this to you?"

"Lucy," Leta managed to cough out.

"Lucy? She did that to you?" Natsu yelled. "How could you, Lucy? We thought you were nice!"

"No," Leta coughed out once more. "Lucy." Leta let out a piercing scream as a massive wave of pain shot through her small body. That was another side affect of Will's Fire Punch. Once she cut off the scream, she opened her teary eyes and searched for the girl. "Lucy!"

Lucy ran up to Leta as fast as she could, but everyone was gathering around the injured girl. She had to push her way through. But people wouldn't budge. "Move out of the way!" Master Makarov's loud voice yelled over everyone. He jumped down from the second floor next to Lucy. "Move aside. She's asking for Lucy."

"Lucy…the…amulet…" Leta got out.

"It's right here," Lucy said, pulling it out of her pocket and handing it to the girl.

The amulet rested in Leta's left hand while the other hand was placed over top of it. The blue crystal in the center glowed. The glowing light crawled up her hand and then her arm. Soon enough, her whole body was glowing that blue color. Once the light diminished, Leta sat up, completely healed. However, she held her head and groaned. "Ouch," she muttered.

"What the-?" Natsu started too asked.

"How did she do that?" Gray muttered.

"Leta?" Lucy asked worried.

Leta lifted her head up and looked at the girl next to her. A small, weak smile played on her lips. "Thanks for holding onto that for me, Lucy." The girl put the amulet around her neck once more and looked down at herself. A bright red blush formed on her cheeks. Most of her clothing had been burned off. She was barely concealed.

"Mira," Master Makarov said. "Take Leta upstairs so she can get cleaned up. Then we need to have a little chat."

"Yes Master," Mirajane said. Mira put her arm around Leta's shoulders and helped the weak girl up the stairs. Mira brought Leta into a little bathroom up there and wet a washcloth. "Leta," the white haired girl said, getting the black haired girl's attention. "What happened?" she asked as she gently washed some of the blood off of Leta's face.

"That's what I am wondering," Makarov said, appearing in the doorway. He walked into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Master," Leta hesitated to say. No matter what way she saw it, she was going to have to tell him what was going on. Otherwise he might kick her out of the guild. But if she did tell him, he might kick her out anyways for being a danger to everyone in the guild. She didn't know what to do. She needed the guild. It helped protect her and helped her get money to live a semi-normal life.

"Leta," Mira said, trying to comfort the girl. "You know you can tell us anything, right? We'd do anything in our power to find who did this to you."

Leta looked up from her hands to the light haired girl, a bewildered expression on her face. "Why?" Why would they go all out of their way for her? She wasn't social with them. She barely had any friends there. She was cold most of the time. What reason would they do that for her?

Mira looked at her oddly, head tilted to the side slightly. "Why?" she repeated the black haired girl. "Because you're a part of Fairy Tail? That makes you family."

"Family?" Leta asked. "You guys don't know anything about me."

"That doesn't mean you're not a part of our family here," Mira said. "We take care of our own."

Makarov moved from the door and stood in front of the girl. "Leta Velius, I know who you are."

Leta's face fell even more, if it was possible. It seemed that her day just kept getting worse and worse. Maybe it was just her life that was cursed. Maybe she was doomed to be unhappy for the rest of her life. Once again, no matter which way she looked at it, she couldn't see a happy ending for her.

Her past was something she tried to hide from everyone. No matter how close she was to someone, she would never tell them everything about her past. It was safer for everyone that way. So, when Makarov said he knew about who she was, she couldn't help but be struck with fear and sadness. It just proved even more that there wouldn't be anything good coming for her, in her mind at least.

"I suppose you want me to leave the Guild now," Leta said, sounding even more upset then she had before.

"Leave the Guild?" Mira asked. "How could you think such a thing? Leta, we could never do that with whoever did this to you still out there."

Makarov continued to speak, not even acknowledging that Mirajane had spoken out. "I will admit, it does worry me having you here. The safety of everyone here and whoever you come into contact with are in danger."

"Just because someone attacked her?" Mira asked. "I don't understand. What's going on?"

"I never meant to put anyone in danger, you have to see that," Leta defended. "That's the last thing I ever wanted."

"I know," Makarov said. "However, that isn't the only concern I have."

Leta's gaze fell to the floor. "You are concerned about which side I am on, aren't you?" It was a rhetorical question. Leta was pretty sure she knew what the answer was. But she couldn't help but let that be known that she knew what was going through his head.

"That amulet you wear can never fall into the hands of the people who seek it," he said. "I can see by how you handed it over that you wouldn't let that happen, but you should've given it to someone stronger than Lucy. Erza or myself would've been better candidates."

"I know, but I didn't have time," Leta stated. "I knew something was going to happen and I couldn't have it with me when it happened. You know what would've happened."

"That is why I know you are on our side," Makarov said, shocking the girl. She looked up at him with confused eyes, urging him to continue on. "I know you would never let anything bad happen to anybody because of it. It makes me wonder why you joined a Guild in the first place though. Seeing as there are a lot of people around."

"That's one of the reasons why I did it," she stated to explain. "Though there are people around, I know that they can take care of themselves, being Wizards and all. Plus, they would never expect me to do it. I needed to do it. I was also running out of money."

"I see," Makarov said.

"But I understand if you want me to leave," Leta said.

"Master, you can't make her leave," Mira protested. "She needs us right now."

"Mira is right," he said. "Leta, you are a part of our Guild, our family. And we are always here for our family. I couldn't force you out when you need our help. If I did that, it would put you into a spot where they could get the amulet. We couldn't let that happen."

"We won't let anyone hurt you, Leta," Mirajane said. "Not again."

Leta was quiet for the longest time. Mira continued to help clean the girl up, but frozen when she saw tears rolling down her cheeks. "Leta?" Mira asked, concerned for the girl. As the girl sobbed and shook slightly, Mirajane rapped her arms around her and pulled her tight. Surprisingly, Leta leaned into the comforting embrace. "I'm here for you. We all are."

"Thank you," she sobbed.

"We're not done talking about this, but you need your rest," Makarov said. "Mirajane, why don't you take Leta home? Get someone to stand guard to make sure nobody tries to get to her again."

"Uh," Leta started out. "There's a little problem with that. My apartment burnt down."

"I see," Makarov. "I'm sure was can find someone to let you temporarily stay with them." The Master turned and walked over to the door, but stopped and turned back around before opening it up to leave. "I'll ask around."

"Thank you," Leta repeated. "Thank you for everything."


	3. Chapter 3

Once again, I hope you all review. Please and thank you. I got this one right out to make up for being so long.

* * *

><p>Chapter 3<br>Eating Happily…or Happy…

The mission that Leta had taken on had taken her a couple more days than she had expected it to take her. She didn't mind though. The job was still easy and she got her pay. She could pay her part of the rent for staying with Lucy and to get some more food to restock her refrigerator and cabinets. She had been running a little low on things lately and had needed the money to restock. With the money she had gotten from her job, she could do all of that and still have a little bit of spending money and some to put away in the bank to save.

Lucy had been one of the only people to offer to let Leta stay with them. Though Leta could tell she was a little worried that whoever was after Leta would follow her there, she was more concerned for Leta. During the time that the girls had spent together, they had grown closer. Leta was nervous about that because she didn't want Lucy to be in any danger, but she couldn't help but like having someone around like Lucy was.

Leta had been walking through the forest, taking a short cut to get back to Magnolia to get back to the Fairy Tail Guildhall. She had taken that short cut many times before. The forest there was very familiar to the seventeen year old girl. If anything was out of place or strange, she would have known.

That was when she noticed something was off. She stopped walking and just stood there, trying to figure out what was different. She could sense a presence very close to her. One that was very familiar. Maybe a little too familiar…

"Oh no," she muttered annoyed. "Not again, not now." Leta quickly dodged a kicked from behind and jumped back several feet. She turned around and groaned. "Come on, Luke. _Not now_."

"Aw," Luke said laughing and amused. "Aren't you glad to see me, Baby Girl?"

"No," Leta said, shaking her head. "Not at all."

Luke was an eighteen year old male with shiny blonde hair that went down to his shoulders and beautiful blue eyes. He wore an open brown sleeveless vest that showed off his toned, beautiful body. His black pants went down to his ankles. His feet were bare and dirty from walking around the forest with no shoes. He, like Leta, had the same black rings around his neck, wrists and ankles. He had gotten them the same day she had gotten hers too. Neither of them would forget the day they got them.

Sure, Luke may have been very nice to look at, but he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box. He also wasn't the nicest person either. If he didn't get what he wanted, which he usually did, he'd take it. And in this case, Leta was what he wanted. He had wanted her for years and he was determined to get her, even if it was against her will. And for the record, if it already wasn't obvious enough, she didn't want him at all.

"Go away, Luke!" Leta snapped. She jumped back as he tried to grab her and then swung another kick at her. "I'm not going with you."

"Sure you are," he laughed. "You want to, I know you do. You can't deny this."

He kicked her in the stomach and sent her flying through the trees. She did a back flip and landed on her feet and slid a couple yards before stopping. Threw her travel back over to the side by a bush and got into a defensive stance. Her arms were up, ready to protect of deflect. Her feet were spread a part, having her placed firmly on the ground balancing herself perfectly.

"Leta?" she heard a female voice asked.

Leta was shocked when she heard the familiar voice. She turned her head to her right to see Lucy and Happy sitting there, looking at Leta curiously. When Natsu and Gray heard Lucy said Leta's name, they stopped their fighting and looked over and to see the girl. She straightened up when she saw them, momentarily forgetting about Luke who she was fighting against. Those four there were the last people she expected to see out there.

"You let your guard down!" Luke yelled, jumping through the trees and pushing Leta up against a tree, pinning her there with his body. He forcefully smacked his lips to hers as he kissed her. She struggled to get free. She could feel him trying to grab the amulet around her neck, but she managed to push him off of her, sending him back several yards.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop doing that?" an annoyed Leta asked, whipping her mouth.

"I think I deserve to kiss you all I want," Luke said smirking. "You are my fiancée, after all."

"You're getting married?" Happy asked. "And you didn't invite me?"

"You're getting married at seventeen?" Lucy asked shocked. "Isn't that a little young?"

"I am _not_ marrying him!" she angrily said.

"Sure you are," he said. "You remember the arrangement, don't you?"

"That was called off," she pressed. "Now just leave me the hell _alone_!"

"I'm not going anywhere without you!" Luke yelled, lunging towards Leta. However, Natsu and Gray jumped in front of her and pushed Luke back.

"We don't think so," Natsu said.

"If she doesn't want to go with you, then she doesn't have to," Gray said, crossing his arms.

"You little _whore_," Luke spat. "I bet you slept with both of them."

"I did not!" Leta protested, feeling a little hurt by what he called her. Why she got hurt by that, she didn't know. She didn't care what Luke thought about her. She hadn't for a long time. "Now just go away and leave me alone." Her tone was much quieter than when she spoke before.

"This isn't over," he said, pointing his finger threateningly at her. He then disappeared into the forest.

"It never is with you," she muttered, picking up her bag from off the ground.

And then…!

The four teenagers sat on the ground next to a cliff while Happy fished with a very large fishing pole that went all the way down to the water below. They had stopped to listen to one another's reasons for being in the woods. Since Leta had been the last one to show up, they thought she should go first. She didn't see how that was fair, but she went along with it anyways. It wasn't like she wasn't going to tell them the background story of Luke and herself anyways. That would just be mean.

"Luke and I were supposed to get married," she started out saying. "We grew up in the same village together. We were actually best friends back then. We actually didn't mind when we found out that our parents had arranged for us to be married when we were ten. We weren't going to get married at ten, no, that would just be wrong. But we were to be married once I turned eighteen.

"However, as time went on and we were older, things happened. Luke chanced completely. He became mean and rude and rather violent. That was when I tried to get the marriage broken off. I didn't want to be with someone like that. And even before that, I was starting to think it wasn't such a good idea. What is the point in a marriage based off of no love? I didn't love him and the only reason he wanted the marriage was because of lust.

"I couldn't get the marriage broken off. Then due to some unfortunate events, the marriage was broken off when I was thirteen. Luke didn't like that though. Ever since then, he's been trying to forcefully make me marry him and go live with him and his friends. I've managed to stay away from him this long, but he keeps finding me. I can fight him off, but the battles keep getting tougher and tougher.

"Thanks," she said. "For helping me out back there."

"No problem," Natsu said, sitting back.

"So you're on your way back from a job?" Lucy asked Gray.

"Yeah, there's a shortcut through these woods that'll get you back to town in no time," Gray replied.

"See," Happy said. "I told you so."

"Yeah well if your noise is so great then how come you didn't know Gray was right in front of us?" Lucy asked. "Smart guy."

"There are some things they you don't want to smell," Happy said.

"What'd you say?" Gray asked irritated. Leta giggled at what Happy said. When Gray heard her laughing at him, he glared at her. She just playfully stuck her tongue out at him. He then became a little shocked. Leta had always seemed a little secluded and anti-social. He didn't expect her be a little childish like that. She seemed friendly than he thought she'd be.

"I agree," Natsu said. "So go on home and we'll smell you later."

"Fine," Gray said, going back to being annoyed. "I will and unless you want trouble, you should too." He stood up, turned around to face the water and placed his hands on his hips.

"Why do you say that?" Lucy asked.

"'Cause Erza's due back anytime now," Gray said.

Natsu gasped while Lucy asked, "The Erza? Whoa. "

"Yeah, she's the most powerful woman in all of Fairy Tail," Happy said with a fish in his mouth. The poor fish was crying.

"I can't wait to meet her," Lucy said dreamily. "But you know, I've never even a picture of her in _Sorcerer Weekly_ or anything. What's she like?"

Everyone's demeanor changed. "Scary," Gray, Natsu and Happy said. Lucy's face fell dramatically.

"Wild animal," Gray said.

"A veil beast," Natsu said.

"More like a full on monster," Happy said.

The mental image everyone had was of a giant monster stomping thought a city. She was breathing fire and had horns on her head. Really, that wasn't what she looked like. Leta had seen her before and she was actually very pretty. She could see why they were afraid of her, but she wasn't. She had never done anything to make the girl angry at her. So, she was nothing but nice towards Leta.

"She's not that big you guys," Happy said, still eating his fish.

"Well," Natsu said. "She's big enough for me."

"One thing we can all agree on is she is definitely that scary," Gray said. "Well, maybe a little scarier."

The next image they had was of Erza kicking over a mountain. Their imagination was getting a little too wild.

"Yeah," Natsu said. "She's about this scary." He was referring to their mental image.

"What?" Gray said. "I guaranty you, Erza can take down at least three mountains with a single kick."

"You don't need to exaggerate like that, Gray, it's more like two," Happy said.

"You know guy, even if she's able to kick down a single mountain, it's still scary," Lucy said in a bad mood.

"Like I said," Gray said. "We should get back. Having that Luke guy show up and having to deal with him put us back."

"I'm sorry," Leta said rather annoyed with him bringing it up. "I didn't plan on having Luke showing up and trying to kidnap me or Erza coming back now."

"Holy crap," Natsu said, jumping up off the ground. "Let's get moving!"

Then, out of nowhere, the ledge they were on exploded. They were all buried in dirt. Lucy had her hands and knees in the dirt. The whole top of Natsu was under the dirt. Everything from the shoulders down was under the dirt for Gray while Leta was half on top of Lucy. Lucy and Leta coughed.

"Sorry Lu," Leta said, climbing off of the girl.

"What now?" Gray asked annoyed.

"Happy!" Natsu yelled, pulling his head up from above the dirt. He had dirt pouring out of his mouth, which Leta thought couldn't have tasted too well.

They dug themselves out of the dirk and ran off together to look for their friend, the little blue talking cat. They stopped on top of a hill overlooking a clearing below. They could clearly see Happy tied to a post over an unlit camp fire. There were several people around him. A set of orange haired twins, a chicken man, someone who resembled a goblin and a man with a crystal ball. The chicken man held a torch that was on fire, ready to light the wood beneath Happy.

"Hold it right there!" Natsu yelled.

"Happy!" Lucy yelled down.

"Don't worry; we're coming to get you!" Leta added.

"Thank goodness!" he cried out. "Now I'm not going to taste weird!"

_Taste weird?_ Leta asked herself. _Is that what he's really worried about? Maybe he's shocked and delusional._

"Pipe down," the goblin man said.

"That's our friend you're trying to roast, buddy," Natsu said, starting to crack his knuckles. "Sorry, but you guys are going to have to make other plans for dinner."

"You're all wizards, aren't you?" Gray asked. "What Guild are you with?"

"Does it really matter?" Leta asked. "It doesn't change the fact that they want to eat Happy!"

"I'm not tellin'!" the man stated. "Get him!"

"Gray, let's do it," Natsu said.

"All right, but don't go telling me what to do," Gray replied.

They both took off, ready for whatever the group of people threw at them. Leta just stood there with Lucy for a moment. She turned to the blonde and said, "I just _love_ how they forget about us, don't you?" Of course, she was being sarcastic and Lucy could tell that.

"Oh, Sweetheart!" a male voice sang out, causing a shiver to run down Leta's spine. "Why don't you come over here and join the party?" Luke stood off to the side of the clearing in a fighting stance.

"Oh, I'm going to have fun with this," she muttered. She looked at Lucy once more and said, "Help Happy, okay?" With that, she jumped down.

He jumped up and tried to punch the girl, but she quickly moved to the left.

"Nice reverse punch," she complimented, getting him even angrier. It was slightly amusing to see how he got so angry over the littlest things. He was letting anger control him, something that could be the downfall of the strongest people out there if they didn't learn how to find a balance.

He tried to kick her in the head, but she ducked. As she was low on the ground, he swiftly changed feet and swung the other one at Leta, but once again, she saw it coming and moved. He did it once more with the other foot and Leta back flipped to avoid being hit. He was getting rather annoyed with her dodging and lunged to punch the girl, but she flipped over his head and turned around. He did the same and growled.

"Nice round house kicks," she complimented once more. "Not a bad dragon punch either, but there's just one thing wrong." He went to punch her and she moved to the left. "But you're just a little too slow!" Leta hit him on a pressure point on the neck, stunning him and making him loose his balance. He stumbled and hit a tree. He turned around and glared at the girl. "Actually, you're way too slow."

He didn't like that one bit. He charged at the girl and before she had a chance to see what was coming, she was punched and sent sliding into another tree, hitting her head and back against it rather hard. She got painfully to her feet and rubbed her head while dodging a punch and a kick that the guy threw at her. She jumped over his head and did several jumps to get some distance between them.

"You think you're better than me, Baby Girl?" he yelled.

"No," the girl replied. He charged at her and they both caught the others arms, holding themselves at a distance. His blue eyes filled with rage. "You're just too cocky and you let your anger get the better of you. A true warrior has to find balance in everything," she finished. She shifted herself enough to the side so he lost his balance and stumbled forward, but tripped over her leg and rolled across the clearing.

"Wow," Lucy remarked, getting Leta's attention.

"Uh, thanks," Leta replied. She turned her attention back to Luke, but saw he was gone. "Damn," she sighed. _Just like always_, she thought. _He always gets away in the end_. She didn't dwell on it though. She turned and walked over to Lucy, who was now bending down to the others who were tied up to a tree. It seemed she had missed the whole fight while in battle with Luke.

"La la," it sounded like the goblin man said.

"Huh? What's la la?" Lucy asked, glancing at Leta to see if she knew. Leta just shrugged in replied, keeping her attention on the goblin man.

"Lullaby," he continued.

"Lullaby?" Leta whispered. _What's Lullaby?_

"In coming!" Happy yelled.

In that instance, a large shadow hand appeared on the ground and grabbed a hold of the tree the captives were tied to. It was pulled underground with them still stuck there. Leta had pulled Lucy out of the way just in time and was kneeling on the ground beside her, just as shocked as everyone else was at what just happened.

"What was that?" Lucy asked.

"Who was that?" Natsu added.

"Well, whoever it was, they're fast," Gray replied. "I can't even sense their presence anymore."

"And it seems they had no mercy," Leta said.

"But what could this mean?" Natsu asked.

"Lullaby," Lucy muttered.

Who are they and what do they want? Leta asked herself. "Well," Leta said. "We shouldn't stay here. There isn't anything else we can do and you guys don't want to get in trouble with Erza, do you?"

"Erza!" Natsu, Happy and gray all yelled. They took off in an instant, leaving Lucy and Leta behind.

The two girls looked at one another and shrugged, deciding to run after them back to the Guild Hall.


End file.
